At the Takoradi Technical University (TTU), 113 artisans received certificates to mark the official and legal acceptance of beneficiaries of the Professionalisation of artisans (Prof Arts) project, pioneered by the Engineering Council.

Prof Arts, an initiative of Invest for Jobs of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), is being implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Gmbh, with support from the GhiE, Vodafone Ghana, Robert Bosch Ghana, Consolidated Bank Ghana and Uvex Arbeitsschutz Gmbh.

It is expected that the project will professionalise the services of 10,000 artisans in the construction sector in all the 16 regions of Ghana.

The Prof Arts project was intended to improve employment situation of local artisans and micro- enterprises in the construction sector and associated value chain.

This would be through technical skills upgrading, business skills and tool training, financial literacy and licensing of craftmen under GhiE.

In addition, a mobile application containing the data base of all the craftmen is being developed to help artisans gain access to a larger customer network and be able to offer services more efficiently and under fairer conditions.

Team Lead, Invest for Jobs, GIZ Ghana, John Chamond Duti, said he was excited about the contribution of the project in closing the skill gap and improving the employment situation within the industry.

The construction sector, he noted, was one of the fastest growing sectors in the Ghanaian economy due to rising demand for homes and properties, the government’s investments in rail, road and property projects.

Mr Duti said, the global construction sector was becoming technologically advanced, and that, Ghanaian artisans and construction business could not afford to remain static, but, should act to become competitive.

Most buildings, he said were affected by rising moisture content on walls, leaking roofs, cracks and structural failure.

Mr Duti, therefore, said it was crucial for Ghana’s construction sector to implement proper regulation and quality control measures to address shortfalls and poor quality of works.

He said so far, the skills of 1,580 artisans had been upgrade in Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale, adding that, the target was to upgrade the skills in the regional capitals, to offer quality services to clientele.

 Mr Duti added “We want to write success stories of craftmen and women, who through their joint efforts have increased their skills capacity, improved their financial management, have access to modern tools and equipment and a wider market through the mobile application.

The Chairman, Membership Committee of GhiE, Dr Patrick A. Bekoe, said the promulgation of the Engineering Council Act, Act 819, and the Engineering Council Regulations, L.I 2410, coupled with the advancement in the use of equipment, was for customer-focused service delivery and high professionalism ethics was long overdue.